The present invention relates to a duplex pallet for the transport, storage or the like of articles and, more particularly, to a duplex pallet generally made up of a pallet body or first deck and a movable deck or second deck connected to the pallet body.
Pallets made of wood are extensively used for the transport of packed articles. After a pallet has been loaded with packaged articles, it is transported by a forklift or similar vehicle together with the articles to a container or a truck for transport or to a warehouse for storage. The problem with such a pallet is that to promote efficient transport of articles each having a particular size, various kinds of pallets each having a deck surface of particular size or configuration must be prepared. Selecting a pallet of optimal size for each kind of article is extremely troublesome.
In light of the above, a pallet with a deck surface which is variable in configuration is proposed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 8-217071 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 5-82829. However, the pallet taught in Laid-Open Publication No. 8-217071 is fastened by a plurality of bolts and nuts, resulting in time- and labor-consuming fastening work. In addition, inspections and maintenance are necessary for regulating the dimensions of a plurality of pallets within a standard range. Although the pallet disclosed in Laid-Open Publication No. 5-82829 is variable in contour, various kinds of pallets each matching with the dimensions of a particular article and adjusted in dimension must be prepared and selectively used. This is also time- and labor-consuming. Moreover, the pallet is variable in horizontal length, but not variable in vertical length.
Technologies relating to the present invention are also taught in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.s 8-91375, 7-187186, 7-149346 and 60-148451, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 6-72840, and Japanese Patent Kohyo No. 8-509684.